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Have you ever heard of the hügelkultur gardening method? I first heard the word ‘hügelkultur’ a couple of years ago while visiting The Lodge at Woodloch's organic farm. They had this beautiful setup where they grew the food that the spa guests would eat. And in the middle of it all was this raised bed that looked like it was mid-construction. It was a hügelkultur bed. Since then, I kept hearing that word, especially among organic growers! So for this episode, I sat down with Sarah Wagstaff of SUOT Farm (Small Units of Time). Sarah is a full-time flower farmer, and her entire farm is built on hügelkultur! Come learn with me!

 

In this episode, we learn:

• [03:09] Meet flower farmer Sarah Wagstaff from SUOT Farm!
• [03:45] How Sarah's childhood and family inspired her love for growing plants
• [05:55] Why Sarah decided to build her entire flower farm using hügelkultur
• [07:27] What is hügelkultur and where did it originate?
• [09:30] How long does it take for woody debris to break down before you can plant?
• [12:49] Can you plant into a new hügelkultur mound immediately?
• [14:53] Build a healthy soil foundation for your garden with Espoma Organic!
• [17:00] How to properly layer greens and browns to create compost in place
• [19:23] How to use the 180-degree topography of a mound to maximize growing space
• [21:43] How tall should you actually build a hügelkultur bed?
• [24:20] Till vs. no-till: Which protects soil decomposers for long-term soil fertility?
• [27:35] How spent mushroom blocks can add extra nutrients and mycorrhizae
• [28:53] Scaling hügelkultur down for small containers and porch gardening
• [29:41] Common mistakes when building your first hügelkultur bed
• [32:49] Adapting hügelkultur to your specific climate
• [33:43] Why Sarah doesn't use additional fertilizers on her hügelkultur beds
• [35:28] Why hügelkultur is a perfect solution for gardeners stuck with sandy/poor soil
• [37:31] How Sarah grows flowers year-round in Zone 7B
• [39:24] How to continually add scraps/compost while your hügelkultur beds are growing
• [41:41] How SUOT Farm has evolved over the last 10 years
• [44:10] Where to find Sarah, her CSA, and her hügelkultur PDF!

 

 

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Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants) by Maria Failla, Illustrated by Samantha Leung

 

 

What Is Hügelkultur?

Hügelkultur is a German term that translates roughly to hill culture. It is the process of taking woody debris and mounding it to create a new garden.

The key layers include:

• Big logs
• Branches
• Twigs
• Greens like grass clippings
• Browns like fallen leaves
• Compost or topsoil

 

 

How to Build a Hügelkultur Bed

Sarah is a big believer in reduce, reuse, recycle. Just use whatever you have!

Start with the big stuff at the bottom, like logs or branches, as it is so much easier to pile them first. Then you layer on smaller twigs and sticks.

Sarah calls this building an “apartment complex for the decomposers.”

You’re supposed to create a rainbow shape that builds fertility from the inside out, so you are composting in place instead of making compost somewhere else and moving it.

Then alternate freshly alive materials with long-dead ones. So the rhythm is green, brown, green, brown.

Note: You can even use newspaper, egg cartons, or coffee grounds as layers.

 

 

No-Till Gardening: Creating a Habitat for Decomposers

Sarah explained that hügelkultur is a no-till gardening system. Before, I thought that “working the soil” meant I had to get in there and stir everything up. But when you till, you destroy the naturally built layers and the habitat of the creatures that make your soil fertile. You are basically chopping them up.

So instead of tilling, we should be creating a habitat for decomposers.

We want the worms, beetles, and mycorrhizae to do the heavy lifting for us. Once you establish the bed, you aren't turning the soil every year.

They actually save you so much work:

• No heavy digging
• Decreased weed pressure
• Better soil structure
• Healthy compost layers

 

Sarah’s farm name is Small Units of Time (SUOT). It’s a reminder that soil building is a slow, beautiful process. And because you aren't destroying the habitat, your plants stay happy and productive for years.

 

 

How to Scale Hügelkultur for Any Garden

Not all of us have 60 acres. I have a backyard here in South Florida and a tree that needs to come down. So no, space is not a requirement! The concept stays the same.

Here's how to think about it depending on your situation:

 

• If you have an existing raised bed:

Fill the bottom three-quarters with woody debris, branches, leaves and layers of greens and browns. Top with compost and plant normally.

 

• If you're building from the ground up:

Start with the largest branches and logs on the ground. Build up from there. Sarah builds her mounds 4-5 feet high because she’s thinking long-term. They shrink a lot as they break down, so going taller means more “banked fertility.”

 

• If you only have containers:

Skip the full logs. Use wood chips, broken branches, or sawdust in the bottom of your pots. This stores moisture and reduces how often you need to water!

 

Note: Sarah says to scale the technique to what is available to you. Hügelkultur started in Germany because of the abundance of forest material. So the point is to work with what your environment gives you.

I plan to use the wood from our tree removal for a new bed in my backyard. I will build it over the summer and let the Florida heat and rain start the decomposition. Then I will plant into it in the fall!

 

 

Are You Interested in Trying Hügelkultur?

Hügelkultur reframes what we think of as waste into exactly what our gardens need. And that shift in perspective, that's what I love most about talking to growers like Sarah.

If you want to go deeper, Sarah has a free downloadable PDF with her recommended layers and ingredients for building your first hügelkultur bed.

 

 

Mentioned in our conversation:

• SUOT's free downloadable PDF: Hugelkultur Planning Tool
• Growing Joy 246: What is Regenerative Gardening and Permaculture? with Stephanie Rose of Garden Therapy
• Growing Joy 178: The Mushroom Miniseries: Mushrooms 101 Plus the Answer to “What is the Mushroom Growing in My Houseplant!”

 

 

 

Thank you to our episode sponsor:

Espoma Organic

Set your soil up for success with Espoma Organic's potting mixes! Espoma Organic is dedicated to making safe indoor and outdoor gardening products for people, pets, and the planet. They have an amazing variety of high-quality, organic potting mixes, garden soil, fertilizers, and pest control products that are organic and eco-friendly. To top it all off, they have a huge sustainability commitment with a 100% solar-powered plant, zero-waste manufacturing, and eco-friendly packaging.

Visit espoma.com to find your local Espoma dealer or check my Amazon storefront.

 

 

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